Thousands at funeral after bodies unearthed in Libyan mass grave

Libyan men carry coffins of victims, discovered in a mass grave, at a funeral in Benghazi, Libya on Monday. Thousands of mourners gathered Monday in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to bury 155 bodies unearthed from a mass grave of people were killed during last year's civil war. It was the largest grave yet to be discovered from the conflict that began as a popular uprising and ended with the capture and killing of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi last October.

Manu Brabo / AP

A woman holding a picture of a missing relative cries during a funeral in Benghazi.

Esam Omran Al-Fetori / Reuters

Men pray around the coffins of dead rebel soldiers in Benghazi on Monday. The bodies of around 160 rebel soldiers were found in a mass grave in Bin Jawad, the site of fierce battles during last year's uprising.

Manu Brabo / AP

Libyan men bury bodies, discovered in a mass grave, at a funeral in Benghazi.

Manu Brabo / AP

A Libyan man prays for a relative, one of many discovered in a mass grave, at a funeral in Benghazi.

Esam Omran Al-Fetori / Reuters

A child points at pictures of people killed during last year's uprising.

Forensic specialists with the government say most appear to have died from gunshot wounds and rocket strikes starting in March. Some were executed, while others were severely disfigured from rocket attacks, they said.

Benghazi resident Maher al-Maghrabi said the body of his 23 year-old brother, who was a rebel fighter, was among those found in the mass grave.

He expressed anger at Libya's new leaders for taking nearly three months to excavate the bodies from the mass grave, which was first discovered in December. The Ministry of Martyrs, Wounded and Missing Persons began digging up the bodies on Friday.

"They knew about this grave, and they should have worked quicker to excavate the bodies," he said. "This is unacceptable."